Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Alfonso Rivas came into the game hitting .200 but drove in five runs as the Pirates scored 13 unanswered runs to dim the Reds' playoff hopes with a 13-12 win.
Alexis Diaz had his second horrible outing as he gave up four runs and retired just one batter. The Reds got one out on a play at the plate.
Diaz in his last two appearances pitched one inning, allowed seven runs on seven hits with a walk and a hit batter.
The over worked bullpen had a hand in the Reds last three games all losses. In the last three losses, the bullpen has pitched 10 2/3 innings, allowed 22 hits, 19 runs, eight walks and three home runs.
"There's no choices like that to make (the bullpen might tired). Our focus is on winning games," David Bell said. "Their focus is working hard every day. Everybody is tired right now. I'm talking about all teams. For us it's just one more challenge. The game is asking a lot of all teams right now. We've seen many, many things, challenges, adversity. Nobody has made it easy on us. They (the players) continue to do what it takes. Tonight obviously a tough game like you said. The challenge is to come back tomorrow."
Have you asked too much of the bullpen?
"Like I said. I don't want to avoid any question, it is a fair question, a great question. To me right now, that's not the focus. I'll let you pick that apart. You have every right to do that. But to me the focus is on tomorrow and our players and what they're giving. I love how they've handled every single situation this year. I will include our coaches in that. They're giving everything they have, too."
Reds rookie Christian Encarnacion-Strand and catcher Tyler Stephenson had two hits and three runs batted in off Bailey Falter in their first to at bats.
Connor Phillips dominated for five innings but Alex Young and Fernando Cruz had all kinds of trouble with the Pirates
The Reds lost a full game in the wild card race to the Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins. They lost a half game on the Arizona Diamondbacks who were rained out at the New York Yankees.
"There really not a whole lot to say," Bell said. "Our players have given absolutely every ounce of energy from day one of spring training. That continued tonight it is going to continue to the last pitch of the season. We all saw the game. You can pick a ton of things apart. I'm not going to waste my energy on that. For me its the players in our clubhouse, what they're doing. They love doing what they're doing. They care about it. What more can you do?"
Encarnacion Strand got the Reds started with a two run home run, his 10th with Nick Senzel, who singled, on base in the first inning. The long ball into the right field stands off Pirates' starter Bailey Falter was his 10th of the season. Tyler Stephenson went back-to-back with a long home run into the left field stands.
TJ Friedl led off the second inning with a line drive into the right field corner. The ball kicked off the fence away from Joshua Palacios. Friedl dived home with his 16th home run as it was scored by the official scorer. It was the first inside-the-park home run since Jay Bruce hit one off Dillon Gee at the New York Mets.
Elly De La Cruz singled and stole his 32nd and 33rd bases as Jonathan India walked. Senzel hit a ball back to the pitcher. Falter threw wide to Ji Hwan Bae. Bae got back in time to retire India but Senzel beat the relay as De La Cruz scored. Spencer Steer hit and infield single. Encarnacion-Strand singled in front of Palacios to score Senzel. Stephenson doubled to score Steer and Encarnacion-Strand. Noelvi Marte singled off the glove of third baseman Jared Triolo to extend his hitting streak to 11 games.
Phillips retired nine of the first 11 batters. Bryan Reynolds walked and Bae reached on a strikeout when he missed on his swing at a ball in the dirt that got by Stephenson. Phillips with five innings and was charged with three runs, two of which scored after he left. He allowed five hits and walked one, striking out nine.
The Pirates scored one run in the fourth off Phillips with a walk to Jack Suwinski, an infield hit by Triolo and a flair by Alfonso Rivas.
Phillips started the sixth inning. He gave up singles to the first two Pirate hitters, Triolo and Endy Rodriguez. David Bell brought left hander Alex Young. The Pirates got run scoring singles from Bae and Palacios. Reynolds got Pittsburgh back in the game with his 23rd home run.
Pittsburgh loaded the bases against Cruz. Suwinski singled. Triolo's third hit of the game was a double to the base of the left field fence. Rodriguez walked. Lucas Sims went to a full count with Rivas but he tied the game with a double into the right field corner. Sims settled in and kept the score tied into the bottom of the seventh.
The Reds bats went silent when former Reds' reliever Dauri Moreta retired all eight batters he faced until Pirates' manager brought in left hander Jose Hernandez to face Friedl. Hernandez walked Friedl, who stole second but struck out Stuart Fairchild.
The Reds brought in closer Alexis Diaz to start the eighth. He hit Reynolds. Ke'Bryan Hayes lined a single off the outstretched glove of India. Suwinski put the Pirates on top with a single to right. Triolo got his fourth hit of the game but Fairchild threw Hayes out at home for the first out. Rivas singled to score Suwinski. Bae doubled home Triolo and Rivas.
The Reds fought back against Colin Selby. De La Cruz walked. India got the Reds' first hit since the third with a bloop single to right. Pinch hitter Nick Martini hit into a force play that scored De La Cruz. Steer hit an infield single over third base. Encarnacion-Strand drove in his fourth run of the game with a single scoring Martini. Stephenson hit a hard ground ball up the middle but Bae made a diving stop near second base stepped on the base and completed the double play.
Carmen Mlodzinski started the ninth for the Pirates. Closer David Bednar was used in three straight games.
Pinch hitter Joey Votto smashed a single off the glove of Bae. Friedl doubled to put the tying run in scoring position with no out. Jake Fraley hit for Fairchild. His ground out scored Votto and put the tying run on third with one out. De La Cruz struck out on a 11-pitch at bat. India flied out to center.
Catcher Stephenson was asked about the bullpen over the last three games.
"I don't know (if the bullpen is running on fumes). This time of the year I'm sure everybody is battling some stuff but its meaningful baseball. Everybody knows that. They put some good at bats together and had stuff go their way. It is what it is. They did their best. I know that. They've done their best all year. We wouldn't be in this situation (playing for the playoffs) if it wasn't for every single one of those guys out there. It's a team thing for sure. They've been great all year. That's regardless (of the last three games)."
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